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Sunday, December 23, 2012

I couldn't resist the idea of turning my three boys into Three Wise Men this holiday season. Melchoir, Caspar and Balthazar -- er, Dewey, Kris and Roan -- my three little kings. Photoshop is a wonderful thing.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Sunday, December 2, 2012

My newest lace and fabric journal is ready to begin the rounds to the creative ladies in my round robin group. My theme is medieval horses in all their finery, and I had so much fun doing the research for this!

Here are some facts you might like to know about medieval horses. Their stature, in general, was smaller than their modern counterparts. Horses of the middle ages were not usually differentiated by "breed," but rather by use. There were "chargers" (war horses), "destriers" (the finest war horses), "palfreys" (well-bred riding and hunting horses), and cart or pack horses.

The medieval period gave rise to some significant horse technology, including the stirrup, the nailed horseshoe, and the horse collar, which allowed horses to puller a greater amount of weight. While saddles had been used for several centuries, improvements were made in their construction during the middle ages, and beneath the saddle, caparisons - saddle cloths - were sometimes worn. These were often decorated or embroidered with heraldic colors, generally used by the upper classes.

It was not unusual for daughters or wives to share the family trade, and thus women also worked as farriers and saddle makers. Upper class wives often accompanied their husbands to crusade or tournaments, riding on horseback or in a wagon. Women rode astride, and it was not unknown for them to ride war horses. Joan of Arc was the most famous female warrior of the medieval period, but many others also took part in warfare.
Here is my book cover. The right side is a flap that folds over onto the cover. On the left are three buttons that will be part of the page binding when the book is completed.

Front cover

With the right side flap open

Button binding on the spine

Open up the book, and here is the inside left cover.

A painting of a destrier I made based on medieval artwork inside back cover.

Left side page inside of the book.

Closeup of the lace detail

Right-side page - The Joust

Making a journal - whether fabric and lace or paper and glue - is always a journey for me. I truly loved traipsing through the middle ages while creating this one. Thanks for joining me!!